Georges Ernest Boulanger

Georges Ernest Boulanger (29 April 1837-30 September 1891) was Minister of War of France from 7 January 1886 to 31 May 1887, succeeding Charles de Freycinet and preceding Theophile Ferron. Boulanger, nicknamed "General Revanche", advocated aggressive nationalist views and became a hero of the far-right monarchists and proto-fascists of the country. He failed in his attempt at seizing power in 1889, and he fell from grace in politics, leading to his suicide in 1891.

Biography
Georges Ernest Boulanger was born in Rennes, Brittany, France on 29 April 1837, and he entered the French Army in 1856. He served in Italy, Indochina, and in the Franco-Prussian War, and he became known as a war hero. In 1880, he was promoted to Brigadier-General, and he commanded French troops in Tunisia in 1884. Boulanger entered politics under the aegis of Georges Clemenceau and the Radical Party of France, with Clemenceau assuming that Boulanger was a republican because Boulanger never attended Mass; in reality, Boulanger was a conservative and a monarchist. Clemenceau would influence Boulanger's appointment as War Minister in 1886, and Boulanger established himself as a reformist, allowing for soldiers to grow beards. He also promised to serve revenge against the German Empire in the aftermath of the war, and his popularity soared after the French victory in the Tonkin War. Boulanger became popular in politics without even announcing his political candidacy, receiving 100,000 votes for the partial election in Seine without even running a campaign. Boulanger was sent to the provinces by the French government, which was wary of a military general becoming too popular and seizing power. Boulanger formed a movement advocating revanchism, revision of the constitution, and restoration of the monarchy, and he ran for the Chamber of Deputies in seven separate departments in 1888 with Bonapartist backing. His base of support was the working districts of Paris and other cities, plus rural traditionalist Catholics and royalists.

Downfall and death
The elections of September 1889 marked a decisive defeat for the Boulangists, as changes in the electoral laws prevented Boulanger from running in multiple constituencies. Boulanger was rumored to be plotting a coup with clerical and monarchist support, but the aggressive opposition of the established government led to Boulanger going into a self-imposed exile. His movement rapidly declined as a result of his self-exile, and the conservative and royalist elements of French politics would not gain strength again until the rise of Vichy France in 1940 during World War II. The defeat of the Boulangists led to the rise of the Opportunists, and Boulanger lived in exile in Brussels, Belgium after the failure of his seizure of power. His critics claimed that he lacked vision and courage, with his lack of personal vigor leading to his failure in politics. On 30 September 1891, he shot himself over the grave of his late mistress at the Ixelles Cemetery in Brussels.